What's Next For Eric Holder?

It’s unclear what Holder will do next. In the Big Law world, many lawyers for months have speculated he would return to Covington. Firm chairman Timothy Hester didn’t respond to requests for comment Thursday. A firm spokesperson declined to comment.

Among his other options, many Washington lawyers who’ve worked with Holder speculated he could seek positions within civil rights or nonprofit groups, leading a university or residing at a think tank, the lawyers said.

“I’m sure he would have a lot of options,” said Anthony Pierce, Washington partner in charge at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.

Other firms besides Covington could court Holder, though some, especially those who have clients in the banking industry, may see his six years leading DOJ as hostile toward certain industries and corporations, a lawyer at another firm said.

Of course, the attorney general could take time before announcing a new job.

“He could do anything” said Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. “He could lead boards of various organizations. He could take some time off and write an amazing book.”

Ifill declined to comment whether she has discussed with Holder a position at the Legal Defense Fund, one of the most prominent civil rights litigation groups in the country. When she last spoke with Holder, 10 days ago, Ifill said he didn’t indicate he had planned his resignation.

Holder has had close ties to Covington since then, both personally and through former colleagues.

Holder’s former Justice Department colleague Lanny Breuer, who led the Criminal Division until last year, is now a vice chairman at Covington. Mythili Raman, an acting assistant attorney general during Holder’s tenure, joined Covington in April. Other lawyers now at the firm who worked with Holder at Main Justice include Daniel Suleiman, Steven Fagell and James Garland.

In April, Holder and his wife, Dr. Sharon Malone, purchased a $1.5 million condo at CityCenterDC, the same complex where Covington’s Washington office will relocate in about a month.

Speculation about Holder’s resignation ramped up in recent weeks as he neared his goal of visiting every U.S. attorney’s office in the country. Holder said earlier this year that he’d stay “well into 2014.”

In 2012, Holder announced he did not plan to remain attorney general for the next four years. He is one of four Obama cabinet members remaining since 2009—along with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Vice President Joe Biden.

“It’s been an interesting and tough four years,” Holder said then. He said he would ask himself “Do I think that there are things that I still want to do? Do I have gas left in the tank?”

Holder’s announcement came less than two weeks after Tony West, the Justice Department’s third-in-command, announced his resignation. West reportedly will become the general counsel to PepsiCo Inc., joining Larry Thompson, a former top Justice Department official during the Bill Clinton presidency.

Holder’s legacy

As the first African-American attorney general, Holder brought personal experience to civil rights issues. He was credited with helping to calm the turmoil in Ferguson, Mo., last month after a white police officer fatally shot a black youth. During a visit to Ferguson, Holder recalled his own experiences as the target of racial profiling by police.

In the aftermath of the shooting Brown, Holder spoke defiantly—and personally—on race and law enforcement abuses. “I understand that mistrust. I am the attorney general of the United States. But I am also a black man,” Holder said at St. Louis Community College on Aug. 20.

“There has been no greater ally in the fight for justice, civil rights, equal rights and voting rights than Attorney General Holder,” said Myrlie Evers, widow of murdered civil rights activist Medgar Evers.

Wade Henderson, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said in a statement: “His tenure is even more remarkable considering that he was victim to an unprecedented witch hunt and abuse of power by House Republicans. Their attempt to stain the office by issuing the only contempt citation against a sitting cabinet member in modern history only validated Attorney General Holder’s effectiveness and commitment to promoting the civil and human rights of all Americans.”

Advocates for LGBT equality praised Holder for spearheading the Obama administration’s decision not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman under federal law. Once the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the law in 2013, Holder moved quickly to open more than 1,000 federal benefits to same-sex couples, the Human Rights Campaign said on Thursday.

“He was our Robert F. Kennedy, lightening the burden of every American who faces legal discrimination and social oppression,” Chad Griffin, the campaign’s president, said.

A few years ago, when rumors spread that Holder wanted to leave office, “We begged him to stay” to complete unfinished projects, recalled Barbara Arnwine, president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “But we don’t begrudge him wanting to leave now.”

Ilya Shapiro of the Cato Institute also criticized Holder’s tenure, accusing him of “tearing the country apart on racial and partisan lines,” partly because of Holder’s support for affirmative action. Shapiro added, “Eric Holder will not be missed by those who support the rule of law.”

Clashes with Congress